Beverly Hills water wasters 'should be ashamed,' state regulator says

The city of Beverly Hills and three other water suppliers face financial penalties for falling short of state water conservation mandates, officials said Friday.

In addition to Beverly Hills, the cities of Indio and Redlands and the Coachella Valley Water District were issued a $61,000 penalty for failing to meet their conservation mandates, officials said.

Cris Carrigan, director of the Office of Enforcement of the State Water Resources Control Board, said he is “sure” there are water users in Beverly Hills who are “very conscientious and doing their part."

“To those who aren’t, and are wasting water," he added, "I’d say yes, you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Beverly Hills is "very concerned" about falling short of the state's 32% reduction mandate and is committed to programs such as "new penalty surcharges, hiring additional staff to address water violations and developing individualized conservation programs," according to a statement released by Cheryl Fielding, the deputy city manager for public affairs.